Musical Selection: "Pop Muzik" by M
Hello, friends! Boy, what a crazy and exciting day! My work in getting the Fan Club running and getting the word out is starting to pay off. Today, the Club received not one, but two plugs in major media.
The morning rose to reveal a Fan Club article in the Washington Post. I knew this was coming, as Barry Svrluga had come out to our last meeting and he'd been interviewing me earlier. But we got even better exposure than I expected... we received a page to ourselves in the Post's spring-training pull-out section. (Page H4, if you happen to take the Post.) I myself got two quotes (and a quote on the front page of the section), as well as my picture (which did not, alas, appear in the online version). It was a tremendous boost for the Fan Club, and a not-insignificant pleasure for me.
I'll admit that when I went to purchase a copy of the paper at CVS, I said to the clerk, "I figure I should get the paper today, since I'm in it." Naturally, he wanted to know the details, and I opened up the paper and showed him my picture. He was impressed. "Right place, right time, I guess," he said. I enthusiastically agreed.
I was still coming down from that high (and passing word around the office) when I received an e-mail. The e-mail was from WTOP, the local news-radio station. Seems they wanted to do a story of their own. And they wanted to interview me. As soon as possible. They'd send a crew out if possible. I wound up conducting the interview by phone (it was brief), and clips from the interview showed up on an hourly basis throughout the afternoon. Do you know what it's like to be driving home and hear your own voice on the radio? Particularly if you sound like you have a head cold, as I do. Quite a shock to the system.
The wires have been buzzing all day. Fan Club members have been writing to congratulate and thank me. My mom has been e-mailing everyone she knows to tell them there's a celebrity in the family. My dad bought an extra copy of the paper himself, even though they subscribe. (I do not know if he pulled the same stunt with the clerk as I did.) There's a documentary filmmaker who wants an interview. So many things are happening at once. And, oh yes, it's a busy week at my real job, too.
Suffice to say, I'm exhausted. And I realized that this post is self-congratulatory to the point that it can be boiled down to Muhammad Ali's great quote, "Me - wheee!" But I can't help myself. I'm exhausted and frazzled and thrilled to my bones. And I need a rest. So I'll take it. See you down the road!
(By the way, Uncle Millie and Aunt Beatrice will be around tomorrow - I held them back a day so I could share the news.)
Posted by Fred at February 15, 2005 10:19 PMCongratulations on your notoriety :-) It sounds like the Nationals won't be faulted on their fans, even if the win-loss isn't great.
And a belated V-Dayish laugh for you, if you didn't see this.
Fred makes the big time! Congrats.
Posted by: Tripp at February 16, 2005 10:58 AMVery glad to hear all is well within the fan club. Sounds like you're really getting this thing off on the right foot.
Also, sorry to hear about your bad Valentine's Day. But it's nice that a high school memory is able to make it that much more bearable.
Can't wait to hear again from Uncle Millie and Aunt Beatrice.
Posted by: Brett at February 16, 2005 06:08 PM